We must protect our female migrants

Even within our large, typically low-skilled migrant workforce that seldom gets the support or recognition necessary, female workers represent a particularly vulnerable segment. Just how vulnerable they are can be understood from a recent study of the Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers' Association (BNWLA). Its findings are chilling: a staggering 37.3 percent of female migrants returned home with empty pockets, having been deprived of rightful wages. More alarming is the fact that 17.1 percent had to escape due to physical and sexual abuses. This shows the harrowing conditions that many women face within the confines of their employers' homes.

Since 1991, some 1.17 million women are estimated to have gone abroad for work, mostly as domestic workers. Saudi Arabia alone received 44 percent of them. As well as domestic work, they have been engaged in caregiving, healthcare, cleaning, garments manufacturing, etc. According to BNWLA, in 73 percent of cases, women choose to migrate due to economic and social vulnerabilities. Their desperation should not be a gateway to exploitation; yet the narrative that often emerges from host countries, particularly in the Middle East, is that of sufferings, shattered dreams, and haunting memories of abuse. Many end up pregnant, or scarred in other ways, or even dead. Their eventual return home, far from being a cathartic experience, also means a return to the same vulnerabilities that made them leave in the first place.

Another factor adding to this grim reality is the underreporting of sexual abuse due to fear of societal repercussions. The BNWLA study also says that half of the returnees didn't seek legal aid for the abuse and exploitations they suffered. Their lack of awareness or knowledge of where to seek help, as well as the absence of adequate support systems, exacerbate their vulnerability, leaving them stranded in a cycle of exploitation. The question is, why should this be the fate of a workforce that significantly contributes to our economy?

Addressing this situation is not easy because of the multiple factors involved. But we must try, and must demand results from concerned government agencies. Since many of the crimes involve both home and host countries, there must be collaborations among nations to ensure accountability, including bilateral agreements safeguarding the rights and safety of migrant workers. Equally crucial is the provision of robust support systems, legal aid, skills development training, and awareness campaigns to empower female migrants and prevent any exploitation.

It's time to lift the veil of silence, amplify their voices, and ensure that migration for women doesn't equate to abuse.